Always by your side
by randomstuff1900
Summary: Tsukune ends up losing his life on the night of his birthday in a fire while picking up Moka who is busy with her part-time job. Three years later, Mikogami's adopted son makes an appearance at her birthday. The odd thing is, he looks exactly like Tsukune
1. Chapter 1

_He always protected me…_

_Even though he was so weak…_

_His flimsy human body that was so fragile…_

_That looked like it would shatter if I touched it…_

_So weak, yet he stayed by my side when he could have run away…_

_He wanted to protect me no matter what the cost… _

_He would have given me everything…_

_If I just asked him…_

_I didn't deserve him…_

_He gave everything…_

_His heart…._

_His love…._

_And now…_

_**His life….**_

_In the end…._

_He was the strong one…._

_And I was too weak to do anything…_

_So pathetic…_

_So foolish…_

_So_ weak…

Tsukune's lifeless body lay on the hospital bed, his face even paler than my own. His hair is a mess and ashes cover his face. He looks so peaceful, surely he mustn't be thinking about me. I hear myself chuckle bitterly as hot tears stream down my face.

_So weak…_

I stare at him sadly, he looks as if he is just sleeping and that he will wake up any moment now. He would pat my head and tell me everything was alright with a sheepish grin and I would bury myself in his arms. But I know I won't ever see his smiling face ever again, he'll never be able to pursue his dreams and see the day that humans and ayashi would co-exist in peace like he had hoped.

"Why?" I say as if expecting an answer "You could have just run away, idiot."

But the soft-hearted fool wouldn't even _think _of doing so, his heart is bigger than his own brain. I try to tell myself that Tsukune is alive, that this is just a corpse with his face and that he must be laughing at me somewhere. But I know that's not going to happen, he's dead. Face it Akashiya Moka, Aono Tsukune is dead because y_ou _couldn't do anything about it, because _you _are weak.

_So weak…_

I wonder how Kurumu and the others would react to this, they'd give me hell. Rather, how will Tsukune's family react to this? After everything we've gone through, _this_ is what puts an end to Tsukune's life? I hear complains coming from the countless hospital employees not far from here, this presence seems almost…familiar.

**XXXX**

"Sir, I'm afraid I cannot let you through-"the man pushed her away as if she were rubbish, a stony gaze set only on the door of the room Tsukune was currently being held in. Everyone in the hall turned to look at the man whose presence demanded complete obedience. The patients and workers all stepped out of his way instinctively as he stormed through the hospital with a woman with dark hair only a step behind him. Ignoring the pleas coming from the nurse, the man kicked open the door to the room and cold dark eyes met with melancholic jade ones.

"Father," Moka turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of the now shattered door "Akuha-neesan."

Akuha quickly ran to her side as soon as she entered the room pulling her into a tight embrace. She looked at the weeping girl next to her worriedly as she caressed her cheek.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Akuha patted her pink hair as Moka continued to bawl "It's alright now, tell me what happened."

Moka raised her head and choked out a few words between her sobs, no matter how hard she had tried, she couldn't stop crying. "H-he's gone a-and it's a-all my-"Akuha listened quietly as she brushed a strand of hair away from Moka's face.

"It's okay, calm down," she cooed gently "You don't have to talk about it right now."

In the distance, Shuzen Issa watched his eldest daughter comforting her sister. He had heard that she had gotten into an accident but she seemed completely unscathed. His eyes drifted to the boy lying on the bed beside his daughter. Moka pulled away from Akuha's embrace and focused her attention on Tsukune. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, Moka put her ear to his chest in hope of finding even just a slight pulse.

_Thump_

Moka gasped as she felt the beating of his heart, it was quiet and she could barely hear it even with her vampiric senses.

'_It's faint but it's still there, it must be my vampire blood that's still keeping him going. Maybe if I inject him with more blood then…'_

Moka briskly looked up and eyed his neck like a hawk, she could still save him if she hurried. She leaned in and prepared to transfer some blood but was stopped by the abrupt jerk of her collar. She opened her mouth to yell at whomever it was but her voice disappeared when she saw her father standing behind her.

"What are you doing Moka?" Issa hissed as his eyes narrowed dangerously "I'm sure that you can tell that this scum is human and that injecting him with blood will do you no good."

From somewhere deep within, Inner Moka's courage took over as she glared even more fiercely back at him. "I am well of that _father _but this _scum _saved my life and if were not for him I would be dead by now, please let go."

Issa flinched slightly as he felt his daughter's youki flaring up, but he still grasped onto her collar tightly. Akuha could only watch in surprise as her precious little sister and father had a stare down, she had never seen her little sister so infuriated other than the incident with Akasha.

"Moka, you will listen to me and stop this foolishness."

"No father, _you_ will listen to _me_," Moka retorted back impatiently "This boy right here is dead because he saved my life when he had no obligation to do so."

"Is that so?" Issa loosened his grip on her collar and folded his arms, Moka nodded confidently "Very well, give his family a reward. Losing a few hundred million wouldn't hurt, that's much more than he deserves anyway."

Moka growled and the temporarily calmed anger showed itself again, her eyes full of pure hatred. She wasn't sure who the hate was meant to be directed at but all she could think of was right now was that her father was taking away what little chance Tsukune might have.

"I think that I might have forgotten to tell you that this boy is the only one who can remove my Rosario, father," Moka gestured to the glowing silver cross on her chest "He removed it on our first meeting and has not failed in doing so again, it would be a shame to lose him don't you agree? That was all I ever needed him for anyway, I don't care what happens to this puny human."

'_I'm so sorry Tsukune, I didn't mean that.'_

Issa observed her and searched for a hint to see if she was lying, nobody had ever been able to remove his daughter's Rosario before. Her youki was calm and her gaze was determined, he smiled approvingly.

"Well said my daughter, I shall agree to it for now," He waved for the speechless Akuha to come closer "Akuha, give him some of your blood. It is much more potent than your sister's."

"But father, his body might not be able to handle the blood in this weakened state," Moka could only stand by and watch, she hadn't expected that convincing her human-hater of a father would be so easy "He could possibly turn into a rampaging ghoul and who knows what could happen."

Issa's approving smile had disappeared, replaced with a cruel and blood-thirsty (both literally and figuratively) expression.

"Then I will be enjoying a good kill."

Moka barely stopped herself from lashing out at her father in rage, he was just as cold-hearted as she remembered from when she was young. He would force sisters to fight each other to the death and she could guarantee that he wouldn't hesitate to deliver the _appropriate _punishment even to his daughter.

"Well Akuha, are you planning to disobey me any longer? Get to it, girl."

Akuha shook her head and gave an apologetic look at Moka as she made her way to the bed, she rested her head on Tsukune's chest comfortably and held his arms down as if expecting something to happen when she injected her blood. Moka mentally slapped herself for being jealous at the position Akuha was in. As her fangs slightly brushed against Tsukune's neck, she paused for a moment and blinked in surprise. Moka watched hopefully with clenched fists, repeating the same sentence in her head over and over again as another bucket load of tears threatened to spill out. She noticed that Akuha had discontinued the process and had stood up from the bed.

"What are you doing Akuha-neesan? You still haven't injected your bloo-"The colour from Moka's face was drained as she realized what was happening. Akuha looked at her with pained eyes, she didn't have to say anything but Moka knew what she was trying to say. Tsukune was gone, this time he was well and truly _dead._

"I'm sorry Moka, but I think that his heart stopped beating while you and father were negotiating."

Issa merely shrugged and neatened his velvet trench coat as he grabbed his cane and stalked off, uncaring.

"Tch, and I was eagerly awaiting a battle too," he scoffed from the distance in utter annoyance as his cane tapped onto the tile floor "Haven't fought a ghoul in centuries."

Moka fell to her knees as the never-ending rain of tears spilled, she leaned against the nearest wall and cried even more than she had as a baby. Akuha offered a hug but was pushed away by a distraught pink-nette.

"Leave me in peace Akuha-neesan, please."

Akuha nodded understandingly as she stepped out of the room, taking out her purse to pay for the door. A long and pained cry could be heard through the whole hospital followed by the same thing being shouted all over again.

"I'm sorry…"

'_I'm so sorry, I never wanted this…'_

**XXXX**

*Sigh* And I started another new fic again, now I have even more to update. Curse me and my childish attitude, ah what the heck, I was sooo tempted to try a new genre after watching this drama that never fails to make me laugh while crying. Well, what do you think?  
>I will explain more about Tsu-kun's death in later chappies so please don't complain.<p> 


	2. The Death of Aono tsukune

**11:45 pm**

Two hours.

Two damned hours wasted on waiting in the stuffy Newspaper Club room and there was still no sign of her beloved destined one and that excuse for a vampire going by the name of Akashiya Moka. Kurono Kurumu tapped her foot in annoyance as she looked over her shoulder at the broken clock that had not moved an inch since they first entered the room as freshmen.

_'We should really replace that, no wonder that we never get any work done on time…'_

"Stupid clock…" she muttered under her breath as she sighed.

Why? Why did her Tsukune still care so much about that pink haired female dog when he already had her? There was no denying it, Akashiya Moka was probably the most beautiful girl in Youkai Academy but why, oh why couldn't her beloved see how much she loved him? She was willing to do anything for him, she wouldn't hesitate to put her life on the line if it was for him.

Kurumu shook her head and decided that this was not the time and place to be worrying about such trivial matters. Today was her destined one's birthday after all, she should've been happy. Kurumu, along with the rest of the Newspaper Club, with the exception of Moka and Gin, prepared the perfect birthday party for their one and only Tsukune. She had made sure everything was picture perfect, moving out all the tables and decorating the whole place before finally, with the utmost care, moving in the special ice cream cake she had made the day before. It really was a sight to behold, Ruby had decorated the room in sunflowers and a few other plants, Mizore made beautiful ice sculptures and Yukari had conjured up several beautiful pots and cauldrons to put the food in. Even Gin and Nekonome-sensei had dropped in to help for a second, and yet, the one that Tsukune treasured the most was nowhere to be seen throughout the whole day. Ever since Moka had gotten that stupid part-time job, they had been seeing less and less of her. These days, the only time they saw the pink haired vampire was at class, it was beginning to seem like she had been purposely avoiding them.

_'Even after all that, Tsukune still cares about her so much…Why is she so much better than me? Why does he still- '_

SLAM

The sudden opening of the door pulled Kurumu out of her thoughts, she smiled happily and prepared to smother her destined one only to be let down as she looked at the person standing in the doorway.

"Sorry I took so long everyone! Hope I made it in time for the party, wouldn't want to miss out on that cake!" Ruby said as she gasped for air "Oh! And Tsukune-san, happy birthday-"

Ruby looked up at the disappointed faces of the three young ayashi in confusion, she looked around the room and saw that none of the food had been touched. The birthday celebrant was nowhere to be seen and Mizore had taken out her ice claws, squatting as she tried to keep the cake from melting.

"Uum…" Ruby said hesitantly "I take it I'm not late for the party…?"

Yukari blew on the party blower boredly, the small strangled sound that it made was her response. She slammed her bleeding forehead on the blood red table for the umpteenth time and stood up abruptly.

"I've had it! It's been exactly two hours, five minutes and 41.5546 seconds since Tsukune-san left to pick up Moka-san desu~" Yukari raged as she flipped the poor table over "How dare they! How dare they start doing all sorts of naughty and steamy stuff without me! No sandwich is complete without the meat! I should be licking-Oomph!"

Yukari was assaulted by several ice daggers and was knocked down to the floor, blood streaming out from her forehead and nose.

"Under-aged wizards and witches are not allowed to think about that sort of stuff until they are of age…" Mizore calmly stated "According to Albus Bumbledoor anyway."

Yukari stood up with an angry look on her face and got her wand out, she wiped the blood from her nose and grinned like a psychopath. "Bring it stalker-girl."

Ruby just stood in the distance, dumbfounded. She sighed and was about to try and calm the two down, when the she heard a sharp 'cheep' come from her bag. She opened the small pocket and took out an old cellphone.

"Hello, this is Tojou Ruby speaking, how may I help-"she was cut off by the familiar voice of Mikogami, her master.

Kurumu watched as Ruby's expression changed from intrigued to horrified, her concern for the elder witch growing by the second.

"Yes master, I shall be there straight away." Ruby replied hoarsely as she quickly put the small device away and made her way to the door. "Sorry everyone, uhh… urgent business to attend to, gotta go!"

Kurumu tried to run after her but she was already out the door and nowhere to be seen, Kurumu shrugged it off since it was not uncommon for Mikogami to suddenly give her work in the middle of the night. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen, something that would change life as they know it.

_'It's amazing how she can run so fast in those high heels…'_

**XXX**

2 hours and 5 minutes ago, 8:40 pm

A certain brown haired boy we all know and not necessarily love leaned against the bench, fumbling around nervously, trying to think of what to say and do once his beloved Moka-san was finished with her job.

_'Should I actually go inside? What if she's doing overtime and doesn't come out on time? Oh man, I should've asked what time she would be finished with work…What do I do?'_

It felt like years since he had last seen her, and it felt somewhat awkward to be able to talk to her again, face-to-face. The very few times they had exchanged words throughout the whole school year was either something to do with class or asking her to spend time with them, receiving only lame excuses as a response. As much as Tsukune hated to admit it he could no longer deny the truth, Akashiya Moka was deliberately avoiding them. It really wasn't that hard to tell, the young vampire was probably the worst liar in the all the different dimensions that Earth was home to, second only to Mr Aono Tsukune himself. Every time Moka excused herself from club activities, Tsukune could have sworn he heard the Rosario sigh. But what really confirmed his suspicions is the fact that Moka didn't even suck his blood anymore, insisting that she realized how bad it was for his health if she kept doing so. At first Tsukune had been paranoid that the flavour of his blood had changed and she no longer found it delicious, but after a few weeks, it was clear that Akashiya Moka was determined to shut herself off from the rest of the world.

_'I need to confront her about this. Face it Tsukune- she's not talking to you anymore, she doesn't suck your blood anymore, she averts your gaze and flinches at your touch. You need to find out exactly what's going on.' Tsukune thought to himself, he let out a long winded sigh and rubbed his temples as a futile attempt to ease his headache 'It's my birthday today, I need to be happy…but it's just not the same without Moka-san…'_

Out of nowhere, the memory of his very first birthday at Youkai Academy popped up in his head. He remembered how the circumstances were almost exactly the same, how Moka had been avoiding him, and how much it hurt. Then he found out that she had only done that because she wanted to get him a nice present, how she put up with all that trouble just to paint him a decent picture and how horribly it had gone…He hoped that it was the same, that she was doing this for a good reason and that it would soon be over. But he knew it was not the case, Tsukune sniffed the air and furrowed his eyebrows. It was the smell of smoke, but where was it coming from? He turned to face the ten storey high building, he could see raging crimson flames coming from the ninth floor, the glass windows shattered and pieces of it landed on the floor, the flames continued to get larger until they had almost completely engulfed the ninth floor.

_'Ninth floor…no, that can't be. The ninth floor is the radio station, Moka-san's workplace! ' Tsukune realised, he wasted no time and dashed to the entrance of the building, looking back only once 'Oh dear god, please be safe Moka-san…'_

**XXX**

Akashiya Moka yawned, it was getting pretty late and she had barely finished her work. She was meant to get off at six thirty but had insisted that she wanted to finish her work and her boss had reluctantly agreed to let her stay. It was a tiring job and took up most of her spare time, but it was the best way to avoid her precious friends. It was her last year at Youkai Academy and she had wanted to make the most of it so she had decided to get a part-time job, well, at least that was what she forced herself to think. Moka knew that she would be unable to stay with the rest of her friends, she was a vampire, a solitary being that would live forever. She couldn't bear it, the very thought of having to watch Kurumu, Yukari, Ruby, Mizore and…and Tsukune, especially Tsukune, growing old and leaving this world while she would still be a young woman with many more centuries still ahead of her. If the very thought of it terrified her so much, then what would it be like to actually experience such a thing? Moka was not determined to find out. She tucked away some loose pink strands of her hair behind her ear and rested her head gently on the wooden desk, accidentally knocking down a framed picture. She sighed and picked it up, it was a picture of her and her friends in their second year of Youkai Academy. She smiled softly, Tsukune was in the middle of it all, with Kurumu attached to his left arm while Mizore was crouching down and hugging his right foot. Yukari was leaning against her with one eye closed and her tongue sticking out, her fingers forming the peace sign. Ruby stood to the side with a mature and serene smile displayed on her face, and she spotted herself standing to Tsukune's right, smiling happily.

_'Tsukune, I miss you guys…' _Moka sighed and a single tear fell out of her eye 'I want to talk to you guys again, I wish everything could stay the way they were in second year…where everyone was still laughing, where I don't have to see anyone die ahead of me. Where I can spend eternity with Tsukune, and suck on his delicious blood…'

Moka smiled to herself sadly, remembering the first time she had sucked his blood and how scared he looked, completely freaking out.

'Hey Omote, don't get so sentimental on me. Remember that this is for the best, if you choose to stay with them it would only lead to pain. As for Tsukune's blood, I'm sure we can find a decent replacement-'

'Come on Ura-chan, I know you better than you think…You can't really mean that, I know it'

Her inner self remained silent at that and Moka decided that it was time to wrap things up, she picked up her papers and put them in her handbag. Her chair squeaked slightly as she got up, feeling dizzy she leaned on her desk for support. She hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days and her anemia was getting the better of her, she was paler than usual and her supply of blood was rather low, she didn't have Tsukune to snack on after all.

'Ugh…My head hurts, maybe I shouldn't have tried to ration the left over blood…'

'Pull yourself together Omote!'

Outer Moka did not respond to her, rather, she couldn't respond. Even her hearing had been affected, using what little strength she had left the pink-ette continued to make her way to the elevator.

'Oi... You need to be careful, feels like something bad is going to happen…'

But Moka was far too distracted, focused only on being able to make her way out of the building. The lights flickered, and Moka stopped cautiously, trying to assess the situation. She sniffed the air out of pure instinct, her eyes widened. A normal human being would not be able to smell it, but with her enhanced senses detecting even such a faint scent was not a problem. There was a very small trace of the smell of burnt wires, it was still small and it seems the fire was still small and had not yet spread too far.

'Omote! Concentrate, you need to listen to me. Get out of here, you're weakened and the sprinklers could turn on any time soon. We could die here, you understand me?'

A small rumbling sound came from the ceiling, and soon enough the lights exploded, showering the drowsy vampire in shattered glass. The ceiling cracked slowly and the suspense was unbearable, by the time Moka had caught on with exactly what was going on it was far too late. The ceiling had given away, accompanied by a series of deafening crashing sounds and a barrage of heavy concrete and plaster. The fire had quickly spread on the ninth floor and it look like the aftermath of a castle that had been burnt down by an angry mob. Then came the alarms, signalling the beginning of what would be a torturous experience for the jade-eyed teenager. The sprinklers, had turned on almost immediately after the alarms had been activated. Moka let out a sharp cry of pain, the pure water sapping away what little amount of strength she had left. Her foot was trapped under a large piece of concrete and her vision was getting worse, her whole body was trembling and she had barely enough strength to keep her eyes open.

_'Tsukune…'_

**XXX**

Tsukune panicked as he desperately drove his hand into elevator button, almost breaking it with the amount of pressure he was putting on. Tears were at the corners of his caramel eyes, frustrated, he completely pulverized the unfortunate button. Deciding that he could no longer waste any more time, Tsukune ran for the stairs, climbing as fast as his vampire blood enhanced legs would let him. He had cleared seven floors within a mere thirty seconds, breaking world records. His legs hurt like hell but focusing on Moka's pain instead of his own only encouraged him to go on further, and faster.

By the time he had reached the eighth floor, he felt as if his lungs had disappeared along with the Earth's oxygen. But Tsukune wasted no time, breaking down doors like they were nothing.

"Moka-san!" He cried, the desperation in his voice as clear as the tears that streamed down his face.

With clenched teeth, furrowed eyebrows and hands balled into fists Tsukune ran like a man possessed. The flames didn't bother Tsukune one bit, all he could see was the image of a girl, with the silkiest cotton candy coloured hair he had ever seen and glittering emeralds for eyes. The smoke was like acid to his eyes, but he persevered. Panting and gasping for air, Tsukune found himself staring eye-to-eye with the very person he was searching for. He was only meters away from her, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Tsu-tsukune…" Moka coughed, her porcelain skin was covered in ashes and her hair completely disheveled "Why did you come…? Idiot, after I've been completely ignoring you and-"

She was cut off by a clearly distraught Tsukune who quickly ran to her, stopping when he was just a few centimeters away from her trapped foot.

"You're injured…" He said thickly as he examined her leg carefully "Don't worry, we'll get out of here. I promise."

"You could've just called the fire department or something…" Moka sniffled "You didn't have to risk it, something so dangerous…you reckless idiot."

He grinned at her sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "But then, that means I wouldn't have gotten to play the hero. You know I'd do anything for you right, I mean cause I- "

The building shook and a large pillar moaned, falling directly on his back. Tsukune yelled out in pain and a loud 'crack' could be heard as the large slab of concrete crushed his hip. Moka gasped as tears fell out of her swollen, red eyes. She heard Tsukune moan in pain and he looked up at her with weary eyes, using the last of his strength he reached for the piece of concrete that had fallen on Moka's foot, desperately trying to get a grip on it. He held onto it with a fist clenched so hard that a hairline crack had appeared on the surface of the concrete. Tsukune took a deep breath and lifted it up, flipping it over with tremendous strength.

"Go." His voice was barely anything more than a whisper, thick and hoarse "Go now!"

Unable to respond, Moka just shook her head stubbornly and crawled over to him, trying to lift up the pillar that had completely crushed him. Tsukune's hand intercepted hers and he held it firmly, not letting go despite the fact that Moka was using all of her strength to swat his hand away. He looked her directly in the eyes, brown met jade. Tsukune shook his head and mouthed 'No', he let go of her and reached for her with what little strength he had left. Moka took his hand and placed it on her cheek sadly, he gave her a wry smile.

"Moka, you need to leave me here…" he said and cut her off before she could respond "Look, I know that you've been avoiding us , but I know that you must have some good reason. Remember my first birthday here in Youkai? You were avoiding me and I thought you had completely forgotten about my birthday, but I want you to know that I-we'll always be here for you…You don't need to keep things to yourself and hide what you feel, because I can tell…when I look at you, you're suffering too aren't you?"

"Just in case anybody cared, it's my birthday today…" he chuckled bitterly "And the only thing I want right now, is for you to live on. Won't you at least grant a dying man his final wish? Go, before it's too late."

"No, no!" Moka shook her head defiantly and closed her eyes, her grip on his hand tightening "You know…If you tell someone your wish, it won't come true. You promised! You promised that we would be together forever, and that we would both get out of here!"

"Is there anybody here?" an unfamiliar voice shouted from the hall "Anyone?"

"Here! We're here!" Moka screamed "There's an injured man here! He's trapped under a pillar, please help us!"

A tall man dressed in a fireman's uniform rushed in and crouched by Tsukune and Moka's side.

"Please! You've got to help him!" Moka pleaded as she latched onto the fireman's arm.

Tsukune looked at him, he no longer had enough strength to speak, but one look at his eyes and the fireman understood immediately. Guiltily, he picked up a weeping Moka and took one last look at the dying young man. Tsukune nodded and gave the vampire one last smile, the fireman clenched his teeth and began to run off, trying to control the jade eyed teen. Moka continued to kick and scream, making futile attempts to get away from the fireman. She cried as more of the building collapsed, blocking her view of _her_ Tsukune, letting out one last desperate cry before she let the weariness catch up.

**"TSUKUNE!"**

Everything went black.

**XXX**


End file.
